Better than expected 2003 Clerc Milan

One of the joys of a wine collection are these unexpected bonuses.

2003 Château Clerc Milon - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (12/8/2020)
What an unexpected surprise. Second of three bottles PnP and drank with meatloaf dinner. Prominent fruit. great concentration of black current and dark berry fruits with some graphite and cigar. Happy to have one more. Significantly better than a bottle drank in 2014. Drink or hold. (95 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Thanks for the review. I know and understand the slings and arrows 2003 gets pelted with. But I have more than a handful of wonderful Bordeaux from that vintage. And I have participated in several blind tastings where wines from 2003 have outshone Bordeaux from more critically acclaimed vintages. The wines have always wowed with their fruit, the downside was whether there was enough structure to balance the fruit. I remember almost melting during the summer of 2003 in Nuremberg and trying to put out the fire with days of Weissbier and sausage.

I’ve been pretty happy with left bank wines from 2003. Not so much on the right bank. The traditionally more austere wines did better IMO. I very much like the Leoville Barton from 2003.

I drank a glass of this last night, another glass for lunch, and will finish the bottle at dinner tonight. It has improved significantly in the last 2-3 years. Your description is spot on IMO.

in these Covidian days on no travel, the idea of Clerc Milan appeals to me. Perhaps sipped at an open air eatery near the duomo! I have found 2003 left bank to be drinking well these days too. thanks for the note.

Is that the Italian version?

Alan,

You must be thinking of the Clericesse Milano… This is the can’t spell worth a s%# Bordeaux version.